JIM FOX TELLS IT LIKE IT IS…AND LIKE WE SAY IT IS

So, for the second straight game we have to hear from the color guy what each one of us can see…each one of us except our coach and assistants we assume. From Jim Fox’s mouth during the second period.

Right now with the Kings, everything is on the outside, the Kings are trying to enter the zone from the outside and that’s ok, the other team usually tries to put you out there but sooner or later you usually have to get the puck back to the middle if you are going to make something happen offensively

Someone tell Jim that getting pucks to the middle is contrary to the system of hockey we play and, more importantly, it’s impossible to do when an opposing team knows where you are going with the puck. Never mind, I will tell him myself. Good looking out though Jim. Are you interested in a potential open head coaching position? Submit resume to someonefinddeanlombarditomakesureheisstillourgm@lakings.com

28 replies

MURRAY: “He doesn’t have any hesitation in his thought process, when the puck comes up top to him. He wants to get it to the net. The way the game is today, you’ve got to bring a lot of shots from the blue line and hope for second and third opportunities.”

See guys, you just have to hope in today’s NHL. I’m having a hard time deciding which Murray was worse.

Hahahaha, Scribe, I see your “tell it like it is” tactics don’t sit well with others. The reason I enjoy both you and JDM is the fact neither of you are anal or sensitive to the point of embarrassment like some of those other fans/sites. Keep up the great work boys.

I personally love Foxie..as a color guy and as a person. I think we are so lucky to have him and Miller! So appreciate the job they do. I have noticed over the years how hard Fox works to constantly educate himself and then King’s fans with the finer points of the game..from a player’s perspective/ a coaches /and especially with the ever changing rules. The few games I am able to attend, I make sure to record so I ‘do not miss something ‘. As I become a more knowledgable fan, sometimes I even catch things before they do..and that is in part from what they have taught me about the game.
Right now both Miller and Fox are trying their best to find the the positives..but you can hear the frustration coming out at times. Too bad they cannot speak ‘uncenored’ like you both do.
Wouldn’t that be interesting :-)

I just want to point out something. The penalty by Doughty an absolutely selfish and disgraceful act and these are the kinds of things further hindering progress. Everybody out there has to admit there was a lot of lazy play out there. I mean look at Stoll the man played hard and he was easy to notice no shift off. I give him tons of credit. What’s going on behind closed doors I don’t know but I am almost certain its disfunction.

Oh okay so you’re making excuses for Douche Doughty too? Well then I’m making excuses for Murray. If your buddy Douche wasn’t on the team or showed up to play for atlest one of every three games Coach Murray would have an easier time with the offense. Excuses are like assholes…….

Disagree. He’s right, you need to get the puck to the middle of the ice to create quality scoring chances. Sure it’s not easy, because the defense tries to keep you away, but does that mean you stay away from everything the defense protect? They also protect the front of the net, do you stay away from that?

Fox was simply saying that the Kings are playing on the perimeter, which is not going to win games for any team.

I am so pissed off right now I’m yelling inside. I fucking have lots of respect for Surly and Scribe and a couple of the regular commenters fucking goddamn it already. I’m not sure what people want by saying go to the middle but I can count the guys who have that kind of speed and capability to back up the defence on one hand and two of them are back on D. What do people around here want? Do you want the Kings do get in a shootout with Detroit Vancouver SanJose on and on? Are you mad? What this team excels at is having a solid defence and good character guys up front and what I’m hoping will turn into consistent goaltending and that’s how and only how this team can and will win. Last season kopi willi smyth line were doing amazing things playing that style game and they should keep at it but I don’t care to see Handzus or Brown trying to go Pavel Bure on any one anymore. Fuck I’m pissed of right now I want fucking heads man. I just want to know if anybody is as pissed off about Doughty as I am later.

No one is asking for a shoot out. Haven’t you noticed the Kings floating towards the boards, and teams keeping them there? The Kings are finding it almost impossible to penatrate the nuetral zone once the other team gets the lead. Don’t you find the powerplay a little predictable? I could go on and on, but bottom line is teams know how to stop us.

Angry? Hell yes! but make sure that your anger is being directed at where the real issues are, and why their not being changed. Is it as simple as the players just playing harder?

Yes I did notice that and I also noticed when someone is not playing grab ass hockey a great forecheck was created as well as opportunities to score didn’t matter which style was played.
its also funny that you’re the same guy talking about how I can’t understand what anybody is saying since you didn’t understand almost nothing of mine.

My better half’s brother coaches youth hockey in Canada (Hamilton, ONT to be precise.) Last time I was up there we were chatting basic strategy.

He said he always has his kids start with a dump and chase approach, then in the 2nd period when the opponents start to cheat backwards expecting more forechecking, they switch to a carry it in approach. Why can’t we be as sophisticated as a team of 14 year olds? Of course, this isn’t a on the players to decide…

I suggested to him that he’d become predictable and coaches would start cheating back at the beginning of games once they played him or heard from other coaches. A better approach would be to flip a coin before the first period: heads = Dump it, Tails = Carry it. That would lend an unpredictable element to his game that would be difficult (for opponents) to overcome.

He could do also do this at the start of every period. Once the opponents started reacting to a given strategy he could choose whether to switch approaches or not. (Sometimes you want to keep doing the same thing because your opponents are laying a strategic trap to get you to make a bad move. Sometimes, not every time.)

At the end of the day, an element of randomness is usually required to be strategic and successful. We (the Kings) have no variance at all let alone anything remotely stochastic. Perfect predictably only works when you are so skilled you can beat your opponent even when he knows what you’re going to do.

This isn’t rocket science. It’s the old run to setup the pass thinking. We’re just running to setup the run. “Three yards and a cloud of dust” has come to hockey…

If you’re interested in this from a geeky perspective, look up “Game Theory Mixed Strategy” on The Google. I’m of the opinion that most pro sports teams would be better off if they hired an economist (game theorists tend to be either economists or mathematicians) to help with this type of thinking. It’s why in competitive large boat sailing a yacht will frequently have a “Tactician”, a “Strategist”, and a “Captain” all onboard at once. The captain makes the call but the other two are instrumental in giving inputs and opinions.

So you saw A Beautiful Mind, did you? Interesting, but geeky, note: the movie’s description of Nash Equilibrium (given in the bar scene when they’re all interested in the same girl) is incorrect.

More geekiness: Nash was a mathematician yet won a Nobel Prize in Economics for what was essentially a half page paper (5 paragraphs). Not a bad way to earn a million bucks.

Regardless of the geek quotient here, the message is simple. The Kings are not yet physically gifted enough to beat a team that knows what the Kings are going to do. Therefore the Kings must become adept at mixing up their strategies (i.e., styles of play) if they hope to win. Until the Coach can come up with an multi-pronged approach, we should expect a single result — losing. This truism exists regardless of Doughty’s fitness or any other aspect of the team’s makeup.

Let’s hope the old dog can learn some new tricks. Lord knows, my TiVo can’t handle anymore fast forwarding to get to the Heidi segments. Nor can I for that matter…

Agree Vagabond. The sad part is that it’s so simple. You used basketball as a example but reality is every form of competition has the same concept….gameplan….adapt and adjust. It’s so simple it’s pathetic.

Waves from lakingsinsider(poster) said the Kings were working on different offensive tactics today in practice including passes to the middle of the ice and a different rotation on the powerplay with a single point man. We’ll see what happens. WYF took so long? Let’s hope for good things.